A Coquitlam resident whose fundraising efforts brought school supplies and sports equipment to children in Conakry, Guinea is being remembered as a determined and outgoing man.
On Saturday, a celebration of life will be held from 1 to 2 p.m. for Djiba Camara at the Eagle Ridge Bible Fellowship in Coquitlam.
“He had a real joy about him,” recalled pastor David Esau, who said Camara was able to get his last container of equipment and supplies to Africa in June before he passed away of cancer in July.
Camara also managed to visit Conakry, his former home, to ensure the supplies would get into the right hands, a trip his doctor advised against.
“The visit took a toll on him,” Esau said, but Camara was also able to visit some members of his family.
In support of Camara’s efforts, the church was able to raise $15,000 to ship the container of supplies and is looking into what can be done in the future.
Camara was also a teacher at H.D. Stafford middle school in Langley and had been collecting items for his Drop Off for Africa project since 2013, managing to send two containers to Africa before he died.
“He was able to mobilize people just out of his own life story, that was a big connection,” Esau said.
Camara was a FIFA-certified soccer coach who played professionally before becoming a teacher in Canada. He was inspired to help his former homeland because of distress at the country’s poverty.
• To find out more about Camara and the celebration of life, visit www.erbf.com.
